


The Winning Set

by lil_utterance (persephone_flees)



Category: True Blood
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Kink, Snark, Tarot, Vampires, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-06-13
Updated: 2010-06-24
Packaged: 2017-10-10 02:36:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 3,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/94502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephone_flees/pseuds/lil_utterance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of the S2 finale, Sookie and Pam take a trip to New Orleans (a series of connected drabbles).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trumped

**Author's Note:**

> Challenge (issued by femslash100): write a drabble for a single fandom/pairing/character for each of the Major Arcana of the Tarot deck (22 cards).

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 0. The Fool

Sookie approached Fangtasia with a certain degree of irritation. She had been frantic with worry this past week, not to mention remorse. She could feel the place on her finger where the ring would have been had she managed to articulate one single word, rather than babbling incomprehensibly and fleeing into the restroom. Whatever had happened while she was in there…

Well, she needed to find him. And if that meant she had to put up with Eric for a single evening to get the answers she needed, at least the price had a name.

She barely made it past the bouncer before a hand grabbed her elbow and guided her into the back office.

"You know," Sookie said, once the door had closed behind her, "I would probably say 'yes' more often if a few of y'all would even bother to ask."

"Human manners bore me," Pam said. "And I rarely care whether you agree with me or not." She sat, leather-clad, in Eric's usual position, though she did not seem to know how to rest easily in a desk chair.

"Why am I even talking to you?" Sookie asked. "Now that your boss can sense my presence and emotions, I hadn't thought I'd even get in the bar before being accosted."

"Eric is not here right now." Pam paused for a moment, considering. Her gaze fell on the piles of paperwork on the desk and she sighed. "I am very annoyed."

"Well, you're about to get more so," Sookie said. "I need your help."


	2. Heat Spell

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 1. The Magician

Though Sookie liked the fact that the water lapping against the dock was the only break in the night's silence, she wished the number of vampires enforcing it were fewer. The back of her dress stuck to her skin in the mugginess of the bayou, and she could only hope that it would be too dark when she met the Queen for the mosquito bites that dotted her arms to be glaringly obvious.

She really didn't want to advertise her drinkablity.

"Why are we doing this again?" Sookie asked her traveling companion.

"Because we need to find both of our bosses," Pam said calmly. Though none of the vampires that made up the Queen's security had been particularly friendly to her, she seemed unfazed. "And this is the last place our Sheriff said he was going."

"Bill is _not_ my boss," Sookie said, for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Does that mean that you acknowledge that Eric is?"

"No!"

"He does pay you," Pam reminded her.

"I'm not here for him."

"Yes. You're here for Bill. Who you don't even respect enough to acknowledge his claim on you. You disobey him constantly."

Usually Sookie would ignore her, but right now those words hurt. "Why are you so willing to belong to someone else?" she asked.

"He made me," Pam said simply.

"Well, I listen to Bill when it suits me, and I've seen you do the same with Eric."

"Eric prefers a challenge."

Which is probably why he made you, Sookie thought, and then they were at the door.


	3. Poolside

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 2. The High Priestess

"Yahtzee!" cried the Queen triumphantly.

Sookie and Pam endured at least five full minutes of the table's compliments to their Queen before anyone even bothered to acknowledge their entrance.

"Ah, one of Eric's," Sophie-Anne said when she finally turned to her new guests. "It's been a long time, Pam. Too long." She smiled, all fangs and fragility. "I enjoyed your last visit _very_ much."

"I live to serve, my Queen," Pam said demurely, and even without being able to use her ability, Sookie could sense the nature of the unsaid passing between them. She tried her very hardest to fight a blush.

"No, darling, you don't live at all," Sophie-Anne said. She indicated Sookie's flushed cheeks. "But this one does." After a moment of scrutiny, Sophie-Anne clapped her hands in delight. "Is this the infamous Ms. Stackhouse?" she asked. "What a little doll." She turned to Pam and beckoned her closer. "Is she very fun to play with?" she whispered conspiratorially.

Pam shrugged. "I wouldn't know, she was claimed before I met her." She joined in Sophie-Anne's study of Sookie. "Besides," she added, "she's not my type."

"And what type is that?" Sookie asked, tired of being left out of the conversation. "The type you can't glamour away?"

For a moment Sophie-Anne looked surprised at this bit of temper directed towards a fellow vampire, then her laugh filled the silence, high and pealing, almost a giggle. "I begin to see why Bill Compton bothered to claim this one," she announced to the group.


	4. Queen of Hearts

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 3. The Empress

"She is very entertaining, for a human," said one of the half-dressed vampires sitting around the card table in a transparent effort to gain favor with his Queen.

"I'll admit I still don't see the draw," Pam said before turning to address Sookie. "And I do not glamour my lovers away. I prefer to be-" she smiled sharply "-memorable."

"Hardly a difficult goal for you to achieve," Sophie-Anne said soothingly. "But really, I find this whole 'formal claim' idea charming-"

"I don't," Sookie said, ignoring Pam's warning frown.

Sophie-Anne appeared more puzzled than offended by the interruption. "Would you prefer to belong to someone else?" she asked.

"I'd prefer to belong to myself."

"She's remarkably touchy about the subject," Pam said in response to Sophie-Anne's quizzical look.

"So she doesn't acknowledge his possession then?" Sophie-Anne asked. "Interesting."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Sookie only realized her mistake after the words had left her mouth.

Sophie-Anne slowly and purposefully turned to address Pam. "Did this human," she asked quietly, "just give an order to the Queen of Louisiana?"


	5. Sharing the Throne

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 4. The Emperor

"I believe she might have given an order," Pam said. Holding Sophie-Anne's gaze, she reached out a hand and cupped her face. "But, you know humans." She slid a finger slowly down Sophie-Anne's cheek. "It's past the child's bedtime."

"Her bedtime, hmm?" Sophie-Anne mused. "Yes, why don't we go with that." Not looking away from Pam, she snapped her fingers in the direction of the vampire sitting nearest to her left. "Make sure everyone has a place to rest," she ordered him. "And take care of my new human. I do not wish to see or hear from her until morning, but neither do I want her harmed. For now."

"As you wish," the vampire said, already beginning to herd his charges towards the far door.

Sookie managed a quick look over her shoulder as they departed, and then really wished she hadn't. The two vampires remaining in the center of the room had not waited to make sure of their privacy; Sophie-Anne had already moved into Pam's chair. They now sat straddling each other, Sophie-Anne's legs wrapped tightly around Pam's hips.

One of Pam's hands was twined through the perfect upsweep of her partner's hair, midway through the process of pulling it apart. Sookie couldn't make out the location of Pam's other hand, but she guessed it must be the one responsible for the sounds that echoed into the hall behind her. The sounds that kept her, restless beneath silken sheets, from falling asleep until late that night, far, far past her bedtime.


	6. Wanton Gods

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 5. The Hierophant

Right before dawn, Sookie awoke to find Pam standing beside her bed. Being awakened by a vampire had become something of an everyday occurrence; although with this particular one, Sookie felt the need to pull up the sheet to make sure she was decent.

"Modesty from a claimed woman?" Pam asked, her amusement obvious. "Bill must have lost his touch, to allow you to remain so gauche about our ways."

"Bill's and my sex life is just fine, thank you," Sookie said. "It's just that neither of us feels the need to perform for others."

"As you believe I do?"

"You certainly didn't care who was in the room last night."

"Did it ever occur to you that you had a vested interest in my performance last night?" Pam smiled as Sookie's eyes widened in recognition. "Yes, thanks to your need to dictate to our Queen, the activity I had thought to undertake for my amusement was made into a necessity."

"I'm…sorry," Sookie said awkwardly after a moment of silence.

Pam dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand. "You're overreacting," she said. "I would do nothing for you that did not also directly benefit me."

"Good to know."

"It was a benefit," Pam assured her. "Eric is the better leader, and he has done much for me, but there are some things he simply cannot do-"

"I've got it," Sookie said, interrupting before the mental pictures could form. She had been purposefully ignoring Pam's newly relaxed stance. "Don't you have a coffin to occupy?"

Rather than responding, Pam swayed on her feet in a way that could not merely be attributed to fatigue.


	7. Twice Shy

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 6. The Lovers

"You haven't been fed?" Sookie asked. "What sort of hospitality is that?"

With visible effort, Pam collected herself. "I managed to distract the Queen," she said. "I did not entirely placate her. She denied me food." At Sookie's horrified look, she shrugged. "It's part of the game."

"But you haven't fed in-"

"Longer than is best for my complexion, but I'll survive. As will you, if you can remember that the Queen is unlikely to be as indulgent as Eric towards you. Really, his spoiling you has come to no good. A fact I plan on reminding him of when he finally reappears."

Pam turned to go, and Sookie knew she should let her, but she couldn't stand to see the unevenness of her gait.

"Bite me," she said quietly.

"Your humor is not appreciated right now," Pam said. "I would remind you that my patience is as absent as all my other virtues, and I am hardly in a good mood this morning. Hunger does not become me."

"Then feed."

A blur of movement, and Pam stood at the side of the bed, studying her intently. "You offer yourself?" she asked, still not seeming to believe what she'd heard.

"I offer you a drink," Sookie clarified. "As thanks for your help earlier."

"I don't accept charity," Pam said, her voice low and dangerous. "But your thanks have been noted." Once more, she turned and headed for the door.


	8. Swing Low

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 7. The Chariot

"I hadn't realized my motives mattered to you," Sookie said. "Since when do you care about the feelings of your food?"

Pam halted her progress towards the door but didn't turn around. "I don't."

"Then come and do it." Sookie slipped one the shoulders of her nightshirt down her arm, revealing an unmarked stretch of pale skin. "I know you want to." She tilted her head to the side, baring the length of her neck. "Heck, right now you even need to."

But something about referring to needs caused her a sudden flare of unease. Just what was she tapping into here?

Something powerful, if Pam's reaction was any indication. Before Sookie could draw another breath, she felt fangs at her throat and the cool length of Pam's body cradling her back. Not a single question was asked before she felt the bite; she had already given her permission. The knowledge didn't lessen either the pain or the pleasure of being suddenly consumed.

After the slow burn of sensations she had been feeling all night, Sookie found herself not even trying to fight the pull of lips and fangs. Instead, she reached upwards and tangled her hand in Pam's hair, forcing the vampire's head even closer to her neck. Pam took the cue and sank her fangs in deeper, until Sookie's breathless, all-too-human cries echoed throughout the small room.


	9. Exhale

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 8. Justice

As the sounds that escaped her escalated, Sookie covered her mouth with her free hand to stifle the noise. However, when she did so, the noise was not all that stopped.

"Don't hold your breath," Pam said. Blood dripped from her mouth and fangs to spot Sookie's nightshirt and run down her back. "I hate it when humans hold their breath."

"You prefer to hear our cries?"

"I prefer my blood oxygenated."

Sookie found herself unexpectedly touched. "You want to breathe with me."

"I want to experience what, for vampires, is an unnatural high."

"Oh."

"It also provides a not unappreciated connection to life," Pam added grudgingly. She leaned down to taste the blood that still flowed, unchecked, from the wound she had created, and Sookie shivered. "Shall we continue?"

Sookie nodded and felt the fangs once again pierce her skin. She experimentally took one deep breath, then another. The sudden rush of air made her giddy, and she could feel the change in Pam, feel the shudder that coursed through her body. For the first time while being bitten, Sookie tried to control the speed of her breathing, and as she slowed and quickened the pace, she became aware of Pam timing each pull of blood so that they inhaled in unison.

Unfortunately the longer they moved together, the more impossible Sookie found it not to let her breathing pick up speed. When the pace became recognizably uneven, she felt one of Pam's hands slide down her stomach, its fingers curving to press firmly between her legs.

Somehow, Sookie managed to discover the last of her self control. "No," she said, moving her hand to cover Pam's own. "Not that."

Pam sighed in displeasure, but obeyed the command. She removed her hand and stood, leaving without saying another word.


	10. Brick by Brick

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 9. The Hermit

Sookie spent the day feeling entombed.

When she had stayed with Bill in the hotel in Texas, she hadn't minded the dead silence that surrounded her during the dusky daytime hours, hadn't even minded missing sunlight to mark the passing of time. But now, she felt the confines of a timeless existence, felt herself the only still-living item to be put away upon a shelf.

In the rooms surrounding her, nothing lived and nothing moved. She had gone out into the hallway earlier, her bare feet against the polished, wood floor providing the only reliable sensations in the dim light of the corridor, and found every door locked against her.

Walking back into her room, she had found no comfort in the rich furnishings; it was as if she had been buried with treasures to keep her company in her next life. A life that included no food, no drink, and no company. Not that she necessarily deserved more than this empty existence, after proving so faithless the night before.

She hadn't wanted to stop.

And there was nothing in the silence around her to distract her from contemplating that abyss. Even as she accepted the big, canopied bed's promise of oblivion and slept the day away, her dreams continued along the path of the breathing dead.

Except, unlike the dead, she maintained an awareness of her hell.


	11. Hangover

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 10. Wheel of Fortune

"Has somebody been drinking?" Sophie-Anne asked, upon seeing Sookie and Pam that evening. "Funny, I didn't know that Bill had joined our party."

"He didn't," Sookie said. "I decided not to let a friend go to bed hungry."

"A friend, you say?" Sophie-Anne shook her head and turned to address Pam. "Did you fuck her too?" she asked.

"No, she most certainly did not!" Sookie said furiously. "I'm with Bill."

"That's very sweet, but if you think he's going to be more upset about the one than the other, you're in for a real surprise."

"The only thing that would have surprised me is if you would have understood the difference between feeding and fu-" Sookie stopped herself before she finished the expletive.

"Fucking?" Sophie-Anne asked. She settled herself down in one of the lounge chairs by the pool and pulled out a nail file. "The whole good-girl thing works for you," she gestured towards Sookie with the file, "so I'm not complaining, but you might want to at least consider what attracted you to him in the first place.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She means," Pam cut in, "What did you do first? Feed him or fuck him?"


	12. Just Say No

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 11. Strength

"That's none of your damn business," Sookie said.

Sophie-Anne shrugged. "Debatable. But it doesn't matter. I already know that feeding has to be the center of your relationship. It's not even Bill's fault, really. Not with you."

"How is it different with me?" Sookie asked, her voice dipping uncertainly.

Sophie-Anne offered her a slow smile. "I'll tell you when you're older."

"I believe I have a few years on her," Pam said. "Why don't you tell me?"

"You really shouldn't have defied me," Sophie-Anne said. "I sent you to bed hungry for a reason—your midnight snack of choice tends to induce rather nasty addictions." She paused to study her newly shaped fingernails, before focusing directly on Pam. "Seriously," she said, "I couldn't have devised a better punishment for your earlier impertinence."

"Punishment?" Pam laughed. "Apparently, your Majesty does not know that I tasted one such as she over a hundred years ago, to little effect. I consider her nothing but a rare treat."

"I suppose it's good to know that she doesn't affect everyone as strongly as she's affected Bill," Sophie-Anne said, seemingly unconcerned but for the too-smooth quality of her voice. "Though if I had known of your talents earlier, I would have sent you to ensure her allegiance rather than him."

"I-" Pam began.

"Excuse me," Sookie said very, very calmly. "What do you mean you _sent_ him?"


	13. Turning Point

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 12. Hanged Man

"Didn't you find it the least bit curious that Bill just happened into the one bar in Bon Temps with a telepathic barmaid?" Sophie-Anne laughed at the expression on Sookie's face. "Of course you didn't--you were too busy letting all of his attention get to that pretty little head of yours."  She turned to Pam. "I told him she would be like that. Poor baby needed more reassurance than I'd bargained for."

"He is high maintenance," Pam agreed. "But oddly biddable."

"It is one of his better qualities. Or at least it was until he met her-"

"Excuse me," Sookie interrupted. She could barely contain her anger, and it only made her more furious that the strongest emotion on the vampires' faces as they turned to her was that of polite inquiry. "Did it ever occur to anyone that _asking_ me might be an option?

Sophie-Anne rolled her eyes. "Asking permission is such an unreliable method of insuring loyalty."

"Bill _asked_ me out. He didn't make me date him."

Sookie did not find the Queen's laughter at her statement particularly reassuring, and she liked the look on Pam's face even less.

"You still don't see," Pam murmured.

"No, she doesn't." Sophie-Anne clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh, Bill Compton, I might just have to find more uses for you!" The smile she offered Sookie had a hint of fang. "How long did it take for Bill to come to your rescue the first time your life was in danger? It wasn't, perhaps, just long enough that you had to drink from him? Just long enough to get his blood inside of you?"

She ignored Sookie's quick intake of breath and turned back to Pam. "My idea, of course. As you said, he's so very biddable."

"Fuck you," Sookie said quietly, leaving the room before either vampire could answer.

Pam raised an eyebrow as she looked at her Queen. "_That_ display of temper elicits no threats?"

"What display of temper?" Sophie-Anne asked. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "She just made me a promise--and she'd better be willing to make good on it, if and when I decide to collect."


	14. Best Served Cold

**Prompt**: Tarot Cards, 13. Death

"You really don't believe in heeding warnings, do you?" Pam asked from the doorway.

It was the second time she had entered Sookie's room without permission that day, but Sookie couldn't bring herself to care. "Not really, no."

"You know that every time you can't be bothered to control yourself around royalty, it makes both of our lives more complicated."

Sookie didn't move from her curled-up position on the bed. Although she usually didn't make a habit of keeping her back to any vampire other than Bill - she'd learned the hard way that what she couldn't hear, could sneak up on her - she thought that she could make a single exception tonight.

"Go away," she said, hiding her face in her pillow. "I don't expect you to handle my problems and I certainly don't want you here right now. Just...go. Find someone else to lecture."

"You are a very unappreciative human. Why so many of our kind fight for the privilege of your claim, I will never understand."

"Unappreciative?" Sookie couldn't stop her incredulous laughter as she finally turned towards the door. "I let you drink from me, you self-satisfied bitch. You want more appreciation than that, find yourself another pet. And for the last time, I do not _want_ to be claimed."

Pam didn't move from where she leaned against the doorframe, but Sookie noted the way her gaze sharpened. "What _do_ you want?"

Sookie blinked. The question had been coolly asked, but the fact that it has been asked at all meant that Pam's composure could not be as complete as her body language suggested.

"Why do you care?" Sookie shot back, using sarcasm to cover her confusion.

Pam shrugged, the picture of boredom. "I was willing to offer myself as a distraction, should the need arise."

"Why would I ever need you?"

"And here I thought _that_ would be obvious--I'd make an excellent form of revenge."


End file.
